Ship-building.



F. A. BALLIN.

SHIP BUILDING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 17. 1916.

1 $31 ,%3% Patented June 26, 1917.

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F. A. BALLIN.

SHIP BUILINNG' APPLICATION FILED MAR- 17. 1916.

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1917. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented June 26 INVENTOR fig WITNESSES FRED A. BALLIN, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

SI-IIP-BUILDIN G.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 26, 1917.

Application filed March 17, 1916. Serial No. 84,945.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRED A. BALLIN, naval architect, of Portland, county of Multnomah, and State of Uregon, have invented a new and needed Improvement in Ship- Building, of which improvement the fol lowing is a clear and comprehensive description, which any one familiar with the art of ship-building can fully understand.

In general this invention is intended to make it possible to build wooden ships of larger dimensions than heretofore attempted by combining wood and steel in a practical and eiiicient manner,and substituting steel for wood where the latter would be too bulky and too unreliable.

It is generally known that ship without load, or with too much load at ends, has the tendency to drop at each end or hog, due to the fact that the ample buoyancy of the middle of the ship, has to support the insuliicient buoyancy of the two ends. This inherent static condition becomes more pro nounced, when a ship labors in a seaway when she is alternately supported by waves amidships and at ends, or when she grounds.

A ship may be considered as a truss in which the top members at or near the deck line form the top chords, the bottom, from bilge to bilge, the bottom chord and the sides act as the web or shear members.

In steel ships, in recognition of this underlying principle, the sheer strakes and deck stringers are calculated to resist the resulting longitudinal strains, to which the ship is subjected and the side plating, being continuous, with help of the vertical frames, which form the struts, support these strains and transmit them to the bottom plating. These strains alternate from tension to compression.

As in all ships the bottom is continuous, while the deck is of comparatively light construction, and generally weakened by hatch openings, it is necessary to concentrate the top chord strength by extra matc rial above the sides.

In wooden ships we are confronted with the condition that the sides consist of vertical frames and longitudinal planking, crossing each other at right angles. The rigidity of this construction is dependent on the tightness of the calking and holding power of the fastenings in planking and ceiling.

In practice this has been found insuffisi n d ild s ha e res rte to diago al strapping over the frames which produced a triangular instead of a rectangular construction. These strappings or trussings have been made of either wood or iron and greatly increased the rigidity or continuity of the sides.

The difficulties have been to find a simple and effective method of connecting this side trussing with the top chords and of making the top chords suiiiciently strong to withstand the longitudinal strains.

It. is obvious that, as the strength of a truss increases with the square of its depth, the top chord should be placed as high above the bottom chord (ships bottom) as possible, that it would. hear directly upon the strut member of the sides, the frames, and that the contact connection should be permanent.

In the ordinary design, heretofore adopted in the construction of wooden vessels, the top chords were represented by the wales, covering boards, waterways, clamps and shelves, depending upon scarphs and bolts for longitudinal strength and in most cases kept apart from each other by frames and deck beams, so that the clamps and shelves would not sustain any strain until the higher members of the chord had yielded.

The purpose of my invention is to remedy this defect and I have accomplished this by making my top chords of steel plates and angles, forming a boX girder over the top timbers, which project above the deck line, thus obtaining additional height for the truss, and by combining this boX girder chord in an eflicient manner with wood diagonals on the outside of the frames, which, with the frames as struts, transmit all lon gitudinal strains of the bottom chord (or ships bottom) of the truss.

Iron or steel diagonal straps may be substituted for the wooden diagonal, when boats are built for fresh water navigation, but these straps are subject to corrosion, when vessels navigate in salt water and by reason of the ship being salted for preservation of the wood, wooden diagonals laid close together over the whole sides and substantially fastened to the frames and treated by an eflicient wood preservative are preferable for vessels intended for ocean service.

in my invention and design it is possible to complete the wooden part of vessel, especially the framing and diagonals, and perunit the wood to air-dry or season. before it is necessary to add the steel or iron top side chords and it is also possible to maintain the contact between diagonals and top timber by means of bolts, accessible at all times above the deck. It is further possible to renew and repair the top chords without having to disturb any part of the wooden hull.

In my invention I have also made provision to combine the box girder top chords with iron or steel deck stringers, resting on top of deck beams, and by means of diagonal. deck strappings connect the two top sides of vessel efficiently together.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a cross section of a ship with my improvements applied.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the top girder chord.

Fig. 3 represents a partial side elevation, looking from outside, with outside planking partly removed.

Fig. 4: represents a partial top view with deck planking removed.

In these drawings the letters represent, A, top plate of chord; B, outside bulwark plate of cord; 0, inside bulwark plate of chord; D, deck stringer; E E and E connecting angles; F, bottom angle on B; G, waterway angle; H, deck diagonals; I, wooden diagonal planking; J, wooden fore and aft planking; K, top timbers of frames; L, deck beams; M M and M screw bolts through top timbers; N, wood cap on top timbers.

In constructing a vessel of my invention, the framing is the same as with any ordinary wooden ship. The top timbers of frames, K, are left projecting to the desired height of bulwarks above the main deck or to the next deck in bridge deck ships and cut off to receive the wooden cap stringer N, which is bolted to end of the top timbers.

The wood diagonal planking is then put on, fastened to the cap stringer N and to every frame as desired. This diagonal planking may be single or double, when double crossing each other at about right angles.

The outside bulwark plate B is then erected on a scaffolding opposite its intended position, the plates butt-strapped together, angles E and F riveted. on the top and bottom edges and the inner surface of plate B covered with some adhesive material which will afford an ellicient binder between plate and diagonals when fastened together by the short bolts M and M, which are used in suflicient number between frame spaces.

The deck stringer D is then laid down on the deckbeams L, riveted up at butts or laps and to angles E and G, kept far enough away from the top timbers K so that angles E and E can be riveted to the inner bulwark'plate C.

The plates C and D are then slide into position against the top timbers and fastened in place by the through-bolts M", M and M to the outside bulwark plate B, the bolts passing through top timbers, their size and number depending on size of vessel and plates.

It is recommended that the hull of the vessel be then planked, decked, finished and launched in order to afford the wood work between bulwark plates ample time to season, before the top plate A is put in place and riveted to the top angles E and E Before this is done the bolts M, IVP and M are set up tight to take up any shrinkage that may have taken place in the in terval. As the nuts of these bolts are always exposed, any further shrinkage can be followed up after the vessel is in commission.

Small holes V are provided under heel of angle E in order to ventilate the woodwork inclosed by the box girder chord and prevent rotting.

As set forth in foregoing description of my invention it is very essential to ob tain good contact between the steel or iron top sides and the wood construction and maintain same after the vessel is in service.

To accomplish this object bolts have to be used in snflicient quantity and an QlFlClBll't wood and iron binder has to be applied to the faying or contact surfaces. In no design, known to me. has it been possible to obtain and maintain such eflicient contact, but in all I have knowledge of, the end fastenings of diagonals depend solely on the bolting or the riveting.

By connecting on each side of vessel the inner bulwark plates C to the horizontal deck stringers I). to which in turn the deck beams L are bolted, the ends of the deck beams can be firmly held against the top timbers of frames F, by means of the bolts M Setting up on these bolts, in case of shrinkage in the top timbers, the bulwark plate C will force the deck stringer D to follow and thereby tighten the contact between top timbers and end of deck beams.

The introduction of the metal straps I-I, riveted to the deck stringers on eachv side of ship, and crossing each other on top of the deck beams at about right angle, complete the trussed construction of the deck frame, in which construction the girders B, A, C are th top and bottom chords, the deckbeams the compression or strut members and the diagonal straps, the trussing members.

Under strain these ties, lying on the top or convex side of the cambered deck beams, will tighten, while in a. similar older construction, knownto me, these ties were laid on the under, concave side of the deck beams, where they were less eflective, and under strain would pull away from their iiastenings with thebeams.

It will thus be seen that the box girders B, A, C form the tension and compression chords both for horizontal and vertical strains to which the vessel may be subjected.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a wooden ship, a metal bulwark plate above the main deck line that forms a member of a top chord of a truss, diagonally disposed planking and wooden frame sections that form the sheer members of the said truss and means for joining the several parts together with the bulwark plates exposed.

2. The combination in a wooden ship having wooden frames projecting above the main deck; of a vertical metal bulwark plate, and a horizontal top plate, an angle member that connects the said plates together, the several plates and the angle member resting directly on the top ends of the wooden frames, and wooden diagonal planking in close relation with the bulwark plate and reaching down to the keel of the vessel in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a wooden ship having the wooden top timbers projecting above deck to the height of bulwarks in combination with a box girder composed of the steel plates A,

B and C, connected together by angles, and wooden diagonal planking, the girder en- -veloping the top ends of these diagonals and the tops of frames K and obtaining a firm and permanent grip and contact with them in the manner and for the purpose described.

l. In a wooden ship in which is included wooden frames and wooden cross frames and wooden diagonal planking, the combination with a metal girder closely enveloping and gripping the upper ends of the diagonal planking and the wooden frames, and means for taking up the shrinkage of the wood and maintaining permanent and eflicient contact and adhesion between the wood and the metal elements, as set forth.

5. In a wooden ship having the top timbers of the wooden frames projecting above the main deck and a diagonal planking or strapping on the outside of the frames in combination with a metal girder, rigidly connected to the sides and top of these top timbers and a horizontal deck stringer plate I), connected to the inner vertical girder plate C by an angle bar E and fastened to the top of the wooden deck beams L as and for the purpose described.

6. In a wooden ship with wooden frames,

the top timbers of these frames in combination with a steel box girder and a horizontal deck stringer and diagonal metal deck strapping laid on top of deckbeams and connecting with a corresponding deck stringer on opposite side of vessel forming a tie between the two sides of vessel and holding the deck beams firmly against the top timber which combination forms a trussed deck frame in which the metal girders act as chords, the diagonal deck straps as ties and the deckbeams as struts, all in the manner and for the purpose de scribed.

7. In a wooden ship built in the usual manner in which metal box girders are efficiently attached to the top of the wooden top timbers of the frames and a diagonal planking above the main deck, and these girders having attached to them at right angles metal deck stringers, tied together by deck straps and deck beams, so that the metal box girders form the tension and compression chords to sustain both the longitudinal and the transverse strains to which the ship'may be subjected in the manner and for the purpose described.

8. In a wooden ship construction of the character described, the combination with wooden frames whose tops extend above the decks; of metal top chord plates, outside and inside bulwark plates secured to the frames where they extend above the deck and means for securing said top chord plates to said bulwark plates, all of said securing means being easily accessible from the outside of the structure whereby it is possible to make repairs and renewals to any member of the chord plates without disturbing any of the integral parts of the Wooden hull to which said chord plates are attached.

9. In a wooden ship construction of the character described, the combination with wooden frames whose tops extend above the decks and with the diagonals; of metal outside and inside bulwark plates, freely accessible devices for removably securing the outside bulwark plates to the diagonals, other freely accessible means for securing the inside bulwark plates and the outside bulwark plates to the frames, and a metal top plate held over the top ends of the wooden frames, and means for securing said top plates to the bulwark plates, said securing means being freely accessible for purpose of renewal.

FRED A. BALLIN.

{Jopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 

